PARISE News
PAR Samples EF1 Tornado in 8 November 2011 Squall Line
On 8 November 2011 up to 9 tornadoes occurred in a swath southwest Oklahoma, to Blanchard in central Oklahoma (Norman NWS). As the system approached central Oklahoma, storm mode transitioned from supercell thunderstorms to a squall line. Shortly thereafter (0407 to 0456 UTC) five circulations formed along the leading edge of squall line, in regions with enhanced radial convergence. A PAR and WSR-88D (KTLX) comparison showing the evolutiion of these circulations is available here. The toward the end of this period, an EF1 tornado likely occurred just northeast of Blanchard.
This example shows the PAR's capability to provide timely, detailed information about where circulations are forming along a squall line, and characteristics such as intensity and longevity.
In the future, this PAR capability may give families the few additional minutes they may need to take cover from destructive storms.